Valve equipped with a position detector and a micropump incorporating said valve
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A micropump comprising a first wafer;
- at least a second wafer mounted on said first wafer to define a pump chamber;
means for causing said pump chamber to take in and drive out a fluid;
a valve located downstream from said pump chamber and having a valve body and a valve seat facing the front of the valve body; and
a valve position detector having a first electrical contact facing the back of the valve body at such a distance that there is a mechanical contact between the valve body and said first electrical contact when the valve is in the open position and said mechanical contact is absent when said valve is in the closed position, a second electrical contact disposed such that it forms an electrical impedance with said first electrical contact, which is influenced by said mechanical contact, and detection means sensitive to the electrical impedance between said electrical contacts for providing an output signal representative of a duration of said mechanical contact capable of indicating a malfunction of the micropump.
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Abstract
A valve is formed from a silicon wafer (20) and has a position detector to detect by contact the position of the valve and hence reveal any malfunction. The position detector comprises a first electrical contact (54) formed on a glass support (32) mounted on the back face of the wafer (20), a second electrical contact fixed to the wafer (20) and an electrical impedance measurement circuit (resistance or capacitance according to the embodiment) between the two electrical contacts. The valve is useful in a micropump for the injection of medicaments.
243 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A micropump comprising a first wafer;
- at least a second wafer mounted on said first wafer to define a pump chamber;
means for causing said pump chamber to take in and drive out a fluid;
a valve located downstream from said pump chamber and having a valve body and a valve seat facing the front of the valve body; and
a valve position detector having a first electrical contact facing the back of the valve body at such a distance that there is a mechanical contact between the valve body and said first electrical contact when the valve is in the open position and said mechanical contact is absent when said valve is in the closed position, a second electrical contact disposed such that it forms an electrical impedance with said first electrical contact, which is influenced by said mechanical contact, and detection means sensitive to the electrical impedance between said electrical contacts for providing an output signal representative of a duration of said mechanical contact capable of indicating a malfunction of the micropump. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- at least a second wafer mounted on said first wafer to define a pump chamber;
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13. A micropump comprising a first wafer;
- a second wafer, said first wafer being machined so as to define, with at least the second wafer mounted face to face on the first wafer, a pump chamber;
an inlet valve by means of which said pump chamber can selectively communicate with an inlet of the micropump;
an outlet valve by means of which said pump chamber can communicate with an outlet of the micropump, said outlet valve having a valve body and a seat facing the front of the valve body;
means for inducing a periodic variation in the volume of said pump chamber; and
an outlet valve position detector having a first electrical contact facing the back of the valve body at such a distance that there is a mechanical contact between the valve body and said first electrical contact when the outlet valve is in the open position and said mechanical contact is absent when the outlet valve is in the closed position, a second electrical contact disposed such that it forms an electrical impedance with said first electrical contact, which is influenced by said mechanical contact, and detection means sensitive to the electrical impedance between said electrical contacts for providing an output signal representative of a duration of said mechanical contact capable of indicating a malfunction of the micropump. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- a second wafer, said first wafer being machined so as to define, with at least the second wafer mounted face to face on the first wafer, a pump chamber;
Specification